Pope’s road map in Colombia: last day in
Cartagena

Ⓒ OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP – HO – | The Pope visits the Saint-Pierre-Claver Jesuit Church
in Cartagena on September 10, 2017, on a photo provided by the
Osservatore Romano

A “gnon”, the raven nun who could not sing and a new call
for Venezuela marked the last stop in Cartagena de Indias of
the visit of Pope Francis in Colombia.

– Venezuela: yes, but no –

Gabriel Lugo waits sitting at the beginning of the last Mass
of the Pope. A cap in the colors of the flag of Venezuela
screwed on the head, to protect itself from the implacable sun
of the Caribbean Cartagena.

Ⓒ OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP – Handout – | The Pope is preparing to speak to priests, seminarians
and faithful in the boxing arena of La Macrena in Medellin on
September 9, 2017, on a photo provided by the Osservatore
Romano

This 37-year-old Venezuelan cardiologist left his country a
year and a half ago because of the economic and political
crisis, for which François demanded a “solution” Sunday.

“The message of the Pope helps many of us because it is an
ideological and spiritual pillar, but I believe that the
mediation of the Church in Venezuela should be limited to
promoting peace and reconciliation, he told AFP.

For Lugo, one of the more than 300,000 Venezuelans living in
Colombia, many of them fled shortages and violence, the crisis
“must be resolved by politicians.”

– A pontifical “gnon”

“I received a gnon,” the pope told reporters. It was not a
hook of the right of the Colombian boxer Antonio Cervantes “Kid
Pambelé”, nor of an altercation with a faithful one.

François, 80, bumped against the glazed wall of his
papamobile. He got away with a hematoma, a notched eyebrow and
his white tunic stained with blood.

Ⓒ AFP – Alberto PIZZOLI – | Pope Francis, who has a hematoma after bumping against
the glazed wall of his papamobile, meets the faithful in
Cartagena on September 10, 2017

The white van, one of the three made in Colombia for the
Pope’s visit, suddenly braked, causing the Pope to lose his
balance.

Ⓒ AFP – Anella RETA – | Pope Francis in Colombia

One of the Vatican security agents helped him straighten up
and cleaned the blood of his face with a white handkerchief,
without the papamobile stopping.

“The Pope is doing well (…) He was given ice and he was
treated,” said Holy See spokesman Greg Burke. Francis left
Colombia smiling, but with a black eye.

– The rap that the pope did not hear –

Sister Maria Valentina of Los Angeles dreamed of singing for
Francis. Known as the “Rapper Nun” because of her taste and
aptitude for this urban style of music, she had won the
official hymn of the tour with a group of Catholic
musicians.

Ⓒ Colombian Episcopal Conference/AFP – JOSE MIGUEL GOMEZ – | The Pope salutes the faithful in Papamobile in Contecar
before celebrating an outdoor Mass on September 10th 2017 on a
photo provided by the Conference of Colombian Bishops

They were to sing “Demos el primer paso”, a mixture of pop
and typical Colombian vallenato, during all the events in which
the pope participated, and accompany his journey to four cities
of the country.

But the song, which includes a strophe
of rap of sister Maria Valentina, was finally heard only by
loudspeakers, confirmed to the AFP a source of the Episcopal
Conference, organizer of the contest, without specifying
why.